Donald Trump's sons criticized by PETA for hunting in Zimbabwe

The Donald's sons, Don Jr. and Eric, have been criticized by PETA and anti-hunting groups for their choice of sport, following the publication of photographs of the boys posing next to some of the animals they killed.

The Trump brothers, who regularly appear smartly dressed in suits on the hit show "The Apprentice", were photographed posing with an elephant and crocodile during a safari break in Zimbabwe last year. Huffington Post reported "the brothers managed to shoot a variety of animals, including an elephant, crocodile, kudu, civet cat and water buck."

Outdoor Life reported that PETA criticized the pair, saying "Like all animals, elephants, buffalo, and crocodiles deserve better than to be killed and hacked apart for two young millionaires' grisly photo opportunity."

PETA also sent a statement to the media which said "If the young Trumps are looking for a thrill, perhaps they should consider skydiving, bungee jumping, or even following in their anti-hunting father's footsteps and taking down competing businesses—not wild animals.” (Celebrity Cafe)

Eric Trump hit back at critcs, defending their hunting expedition. He said "We have the utmost respect for nature and have always hunted in accordance with local laws and regulations." Both Don Jr. and Eric said "We are both avid outdoorsmen and were brought up hunting and fishing with our Grandfather who taught us that nothing should ever be taken for granted or wasted ... We love traveling and being in the woods - at the end of the day, we are outdoorsmen at heart."

Don Jr. even defended his actions on Twitter saying "I'm a hunter, for that I make no apologies", before eqating the sport with dollars. He added “Bottom line with out hunters $ there wouldn't be much left of africa. Eco is nice but no $."

The Donald himself joined in their defense saying "My sons love hunting. They're hunters and they've become good at it. I am not a believer in hunting and I'm surprised they like it … [but] I know that anything they did was 100% OK in terms of the hunting community."